The Melancholy of Mai
by Omnicat
Summary: Mai and Suki love their boyfriends lots, but there's no denying that they're just two big idiots sometimes.


**Title:** The Melancholy of Mai

**Author:** Omnicat

**Unofficially Adapted From:** _Avatar: the Last Airbender_

**Spoilers & Desirable Foreknowledge:** All of the above.

**Characters & Pairings:** Mai x Zuko, Suki x Sokka, Ty Lee, etc.

**Warnings:** None.

**Summary:** Mai and Suki love their boyfriends lots, but there's no denying that they're just two big idiots sometimes.

**Author's Note:** Post-Boiling Rock AU where Mai and Ty Lee escape and join the Gaang in its then incarnation. How is not important. I wrote this for a (as it turned out, dead) meme in an AtLA comm somewhere and meant for there to be more than this. But I forgot what. :D It works fine like this, though, so I'm putting it out here at long last. Enjoy!

**II-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-I-oOo-I-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-II**

**The Melancholy of Mai**

It was a good thing Zuko had earned enough credibility to confirm Mai's pedigree by the time he and Haru brought back her and Ty Lee from their hunting trip, or their story about being locked inside a cell with the key and their civilian clothes would have seemed just a tad too unlikely. As things stood, the general concensus was that he wasn't good enough a liar to act so much like an excited puppy if he knew of any reason for concern.

"Guys, this is Mai. Mai -"

"Hey!"

"Oh, sorry. And Ty Lee. Mai, Ty Lee, this is Avatar Aang, Katara, Sokka and Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe, Toph Bei Fong, Suki, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, Haru, Teo and Duke -"

"_The_ Duke!"

"Alright, alright, _the_ Duke, from the Earth Kingdom... and Chit Sang."

"Hi girls," the hulking firebender said with a pleasant grin.

Ty Lee waved at the rag-tag group - Haru and Teo in particular. "Hey there! Pleased to finally meet you all properly."

A chaotic string of individual greetings followed, ranging from no-sudden-movements wary to _Aang_. Mai was promptly accosted by Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, who stuck his face too close to hers and walked in circles around her like a komodo-rhino on cactus juice. She tucked her hands into her sleeves in distaste.

"What is it?"

"So you're Mai, the girlfriend Zuko's been getting all light in the head about?"

"Apparently."

She was just about to come up with a plan to get Zuko alone and see just how light in the head she could make him (dangling over a ravine or pinned against a wall? hm, tough one) when Sokka turned to the firebender in question and declared: "I still say mine is superior."

Zuko gawked. "Are you _blind_?"

"Oh, come on. Your abysmal memory won't serve as an excuse anymore, just admit it."

"You _are_ blind! Would you just _look_ at her, she's not even moving around this time!"

Sokka repeated his previous statement in slighty different words, to which Zuko responded with _his_ previous argument in slightly different words...

"What are they on about?" Mai wondered aloud, staring at Zuko and Sokka in something akin to morbid fascination.

"You and me," a voice from behind her said.

Getting an answer was a pleasant surprise, though it took a moment before she put two and two together and realised where she knew Suki from. "Is this about that time we knocked out your Kyoshi Warriors, took you all prisoner and stole your uniforms?"

"No." Suki grinned wryly. "They're fighting over who's prettier. It's been happening a lot lately."

"Oh." What a spectacular waste of time. Mai frowned at Suki. "You're his girlfriend, right? The one he came to bust out of the Boiling Rock?"

"Yes." Suki's voice was steady and almost managed to sound casual, but her eyes were guarded and her posture screamed 'Awkward!'. "Do you think I should be flattered? It's sweet to know he thinks so highly of me, but it's kinda..."

"No," Mai deadpanned. "It's just stupid."

Even in Zuko's case, and he _owed_ her.

She had half a mind to let her own posture scream - well, snap, at least - 'Get to the point already, please and thank you. Retaliatory urges tend to wilt.'.

Instead, the two girls stood around some more, watching their male counterparts make fools of themselves while Ty Lee tried to get their attention and show off for Haru and Teo at the same time.

"Okay, here's the deal," Suki finally said. "I'll let that thing at Ba Sing Se slide, on one condition: you keep your stretchy friend away from my boyfriend."

Mai sighed. What was the use of making enemies if they weren't even going to hold a grudge? "Sure."

**I-oOo-I**

After a while, the rag-tag group of fugitives and runaways managed to make and sit down for lunch, at which point Aang promptly asked: "So what made you change sides, anyway?"

Apparently, the Avatar considered dinner a good time to broach awkward questions. Given that teenagers outnumbered adults five on one in their motley little group, Mai seriously doubted the wisdom of this. At least there weren't any chopsticks around to abuse.

**I-oOo-I**

After dinner, washing the dishes, and many more awkward moments:

"Are they _still_ at it?" Even Mai was surprised by the amount of incredulity that found its way into her own voice.

Suki smiled, quite clearly endeared despite Mai's affirmation of the stupidity of their boyfriends' behaviours. "Well, I can't say I blame Zuko. You _are_ quite pretty."

"Ha! See, even Suki agrees with me!"

Suki winked at her conspiratiorially. Sokka and Zuko went at each other again with full force, and it slowly dawned on Mai that only a true genius could play into stupidity, a notoriously unpredictable thing, so effectively. The twitch in the corner of her own mouth told her that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

"What? No way, that's not how girls work. It doesn't mean the same thing when they compliment each other as when us men compliment each other."

"You're not too bad-looking yourself," Mai told the other girl, smirking and cocking her head mock-appraisingly. "Too bad you're taken."

Zuko and Sokka's bickering cut off abruptly, their bodies frozen in shock, fists still raised.

Suki twirled a lock of hair around her finger in a decidedly flirtatious manner, her eyes twinkling. "Oh, but that's just my _boyfriend_. Us Kyoshi Warriors have certain... traditions, among ourselves, that aren't hindered by any attachments outside our own ranks."

"No kidding. I'm not a Kyoshi Warrior, though."

"Oh, with your skill and the amount of time you spent in Ba Sing Se disguised as one, I'd say you count as one."

As Zuko and Sokka exchanged horrified glances, lowered their fists, raced over to Mai and Suki and opened their mouths to protest in perfect sync, Mai suddenly understood the Avatar's eternal cheerfulness.

Scaring silly boys from two opposing nations into working together was _fun_.

**II-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-I-oOo-I-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-II**

**PSAN:** ...looking back, I don't remember where this title came from either. Automatically appreopriate on account of Mai being Mai?


End file.
